Saturday, March 17, 2012

Cab Thoughts 3/17/12

The year after the Fukushima disaster both Japan and Germany, the world's third and fourth economies, closed 60 nuclear plants, 12% of the world's total. 52 of 54 nuclear plants in Japan are now off-line and Germany, after closing 8 plants in 2011, will close its remaining 13 plants by 2022. Clearly this source of energy will not be pursued by major world economies in the future.

The WSJ reported this week that the U.S. had over 250 gas plants in construction. We are also retiring coal plants hand over fist, plants that are more than 40 years old and pollute heavily. We are replacing them with modern, new plants that often are fueled by gas and that pollute often 95% less. This is the result of gas finds, not policy. The goofy Obama administration would have closed those plants whether the gas was available to replace them or not. That has not stopped the Democrats from taking credit for it. Nor has it stopped the Republicans from attacking the plant withdrawals even though they are now replaceable with more efficient plants.

A quiz. It is generally believed that the 1980's boom that extended into the late 90's was the direct result of Volcker's tight monetary policy. Who appointed Volcker? Reagan, right? Nope. Carter.

Japan generated one third of its electricity from nuclear power before Fukushima. Closing the nuclear plants would be equivalent to the United States' closing almost all its coal-fire plants. This incredible event, the closing of 1/3 of its energy sources, has been achieved by Japanese sacrifice. Sacrifice. Remember, they were very efficient to start with.

The hockey story about the frozen clock has been met with disinterest so far. It has real potential. The game is subservient to the business and that frozen clock was bad for the game but good for business.

Has any American ever dominated the winter sports like Lindsey Vonn?

These polls are not worth much but, if anything, Obama may be a popular man but he does not run a popular administration. One wonders how long a guy can manage a government that has long range benefits with short term discomfort. Sooner or later the short term will win out. It always does.

Is Apple dumbing down Siri? Siri is "less intelligent and less useful than it was five months ago." Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak noticed Siri's answers have gotten more perplexing, too. "I used to ask, 'What are the prime numbers greater than 87?' and it would answer," says Wosniak. "Now instead of getting prime numbers, I get listings for prime rib or prime real estate." Why? Apple is likely devoting less processing power to each of Siri's questions now that demands on the iPhone 4S are so high. So the end-point here is....?

No comments: